Pakistan announce 15-member squad for Asian Games 2026 cricket tournament; names Sahibzada Farhan captain

Islamabad: Pakistan have announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, with several new faces included in the lineup, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The squad features uncapped players Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood, who are in contention to make their T20I debuts during the tournament.

Experienced batter Sahibzada Farhan has been named captain for the 10-team competition.


Right-handed batter Abdul Samad has been appointed vice-captain for the side.

The men's cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games will be played in the T20 format, running from September 24 to October 3. A total of 10 teams, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman, will battle for the gold medal.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka earned automatic berths for the men's cricket competition, along with hosts Japan.

Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdul Samad (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also announced the Indian squad for the upcoming Asian Games. Newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will lead the side in Japan, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to challenge for a place at the top of the order alongside established batters Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, adding further depth and competition to India's batting lineup.

India squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.